Oro Valley Town Council candidate Salette Latas speaks during an Oro Valley Republican Women's luncheon at Oro Valley Country Club.

Jim Davis / Arizona Daily Star

More Photos (5):

Other articles by Lourdes Medrano:

Community notes Prof's drawings to benefit UA College of Architecture New OV homes must be solar-ready OV orders solar-ready home starts Council OKs $121.5 million town budget Still time to give to CFSD drive Community notes Foothills effort to save teaching jobs falls short Community notes Fundraising campaign for Catalina Foothills schools falls short

Sales and Marketing
Everready Glass
Sales Reps Administrative & Professional
Tucson Urban League
CEO/President Trades/Construction
RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION Mechanical
Komatsu Equipment Co
Resident Field Mechanic Finance and Accounting
Charles E. Gillman Company
Accounting Specialist Administrative & Professional
Jorgensen Brooks Group
Counselor

The Oro Valley Town Council election campaign picked up steam last week as the five candidates took their message to public forums.

Three incumbents and two challengers are vying for three open council seats in the mail-in primary election of March 11.

Council Vice Mayor Helen Dankwerth and Council Members Barry Gillaspie and Terry Parish are running for re-election. The other candidates are Salette Latas and Bill Garner.

The first forum brought the candidates together at Sun City Vistoso Jan. 8. Three days later, the candidates appeared before the Oro Valley Republican Women at the Oro Valley Country Club.

In Sun City, the candidates answered a moderator's questions on issues ranging from property taxes to the preservation of Steam Pump Ranch and open land in and around Oro Valley.

Talk of future development generated discussion about the town's goal to annex state land north of Oro Valley in the coming years.

Dankwerth said such an annexation "will aid us tremendously in providing for financial stability."

Garner said he is in favor of "smart growth and smart annexation" that takes into account environmental protection.

Latas spoke of the need to ensure water resources that would sustain growth.

Gillaspie and Parish also said they support the idea of open space.

Although not a debate, the forum afforded the incumbents an opportunity to defend their track record. Dankwerth, Parish and Gillaspie pointed to their accomplishments on the council, including efforts to hold the line on spending.

Challenger Garner in particular threw barbs at the current council, suggesting they wasted taxpayer money by giving out economic development incentives, for instance.

Dankwerth kicked off the second forum by responding to what she said is the challengers' "voiced dissatisfaction with the current council."

As examples of fiscal responsibility, she pointed to the Town Council's elimination of retail sales tax sharing, its work on the proposed development of the Naranja Town Site, and the hiring of a procurement officer to reduce spending.

On property taxes, a topic close to the heart of many of the town's retirees, Dankwerth assured the Republican Women's group that there would be no need to levy such a tax for at least five years.

Garner, who described himself as a proponent of fiscal responsibility, reiterated his previous assertion of wasteful spending by the current council and criticized the changing cost estimates to develop the Naranja Town Site.

Gillaspie hailed Oro Valley as a well-run, financially sound town where public safety is a top priority.

"Oro Valley continues to be the safest town in the region," he said.

Latas, who described herself as a master multi-tasker who can effectively manage financial resources, said Oro Valley is a great place to live.

She wants to preserve the town's present lifestyle, she said, by focusing on "developing smart instead of developing fast."

Latas said she believes in exercising fiscal responsibility that balances a budget "without unduly taxing residents."

Parish said his top concern is public safety, and noted his efforts — among others — to curb access to Internet pornography at the Oro Valley Public Library.

He vowed never to support a primary property tax.

At both forums, the candidates were asked whether they accept campaign contributions from developers.

Only Parish said he did. But he emphasized that doesn't mean he won't disagree with developers.